Paul Giamatti Signs On For ‘Downton Abbey’ Season 4

Paul Giamatti has reportedly signed on for the fourth season of of Downton Abbey.

The acclaimed actor will join actress Shirley MacLaine as one of the few American characters on the program. Giamatti will portray Lady Grantham’s playboy brother on the acclaimed drama.

The Wrap reports Paul Giamatti’s involvement with Downton Abbey was announced by Masterpiece on Monday morning. For fans of the actor, his involvement with the series is certainly exciting.

The website describes his character as being something of a “free-spirit.” Producers of the show said the arrival of Grantham’s brother will likely caused quite a bit of drama to unfold over the course of season four.

According to TVLine, Paul Giamatti isn’t the only new cast member headed to Downton Abbey for the next round of episodes. Also joining up for season four are Dame Harriet Walters, Nigel Harman, and Tom Cullen.

The new episodes are expected to arrive in the UK later this year. Unfortunately for Stateside fans, you’ll have to wait until the beginning of next year. PBS will begin airing Downton Abbey on January 5, 2014. Good luck avoiding spoilers.

It’s certainly a good time to be a Paul Giamatti fan. Not only is the actor attached to star in one of the most popular shows currently on television, he’ll also square off against a certain web-crawling superhero in theaters next summer.

The Inquisitr previously reported that Giamatti will tackle the role of Rhino in director Marc Webb’s highly-anticipated sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Numerous set photos have allowed fans of the actor to see his character in action.

These aren’t the only projects the busy actor currently has in motion. Paul Giamatti also provided the voice for one of the characters in the upcoming animated feature Turbo starring Ryan Reynolds. He will also appear alongside Tom Hanks and Colin Farrell in John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks.

Are you a fan of Paul Giamatti? What do you think about the actor signing on for the next season of the hit period drama Downton Abbey?